Sofia de Lourdes Mirabal
Undergraduate Researcher
Hi! My name is Sofia de Lourdes Mirabal! I am a senior undergraduate researcher supported by the NSF Louis Stokes California Alliance for Minority Participation. I am majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and minoring in Biomedical Research. For my independent project, I am analyzing the epigenome/expression of mice with NAFLD to understand the mechanism for s-adenosylmethionine levels in one-carbon metabolism.
I am on the pre-med track interested in pursuing a career in women’s health. I am passionate about women’s endocrinology and its effects on metabolism and fertility. I am a Transforming Care At Bedside volunteer with Cedar-Sinai and a resident assistant for the Office of Residential Life.
Katherine Dang
Katherine was a lab manager and SRA1 in the TeSlaa Lab from 2023-2025. Her project studied the differences between the contributions of red and white muscle to whole-body glucose homeostasis. Under Dr. TeSlaa's mentorship, she earned an NSF GRFP Level 1 Honorable Mention in 2025. She is currently attending Princeton University's Molecular Biology PhD program.
Isabelle Kouyoumdjian
Undergraduate Researcher
Isabelle is a Departmental Scholar pursuing her Master’s degree in Biochemistry, Molecular, and Structural Biology. She recently graduated UCLA in 2024 majoring in Biochemistry and minoring in Armenian Studies. Isabelle was an undergraduate researcher in the TeSlaa Lab studying 1-carbon metabolism, a crucial pathway implicated in conditions like type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Outside the lab, Isabelle can be found spending time with family, being out in nature, hiking, playing tennis or basketball.
JKouyoumdjian@mednet.ucla.eduJenny Kouyoumdjian is a Departmental Scholar pursuing her Master’s degree in Biochemistry, Molecular, and Structural Biology. She graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s in Biochemistry and a minor in Armenian Studies. During her junior and senior years, Jenny worked in the TeSlaa lab, focusing on the relationship between one-carbon metabolism, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and fibrogenesis in human hepatic stellate and normal human fibroblast cells. Outside the lab, she enjoys attending concerts, working out, hiking, going to the beach, and spending time with friends and family.
Jenny Kouyoumdjian
Undergraduate Researcher
Kate Velazquez is a rising second-year at UCLA majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology studies. Kate is an active member of the UCLA Mobile Clinic Project and a recent graduate of the Biomedical and Sciences Enrichment Program (BISEP). She volunteers at the Red Cross and Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. In the future, she is interested in pursuing her passion for medicine as a dermatologist. When she’s not in the lab, Kate can be found reading, spending time with family and friends, or at a cafe!
Kate Velazquez
Undergraduate Researcher
Manogna is a junior majoring in physiological science at UCLA. She is interested in continuing research in medical school; new scientific knowledge makes Manogna come alive. Manogna is also heavily involved in The Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness Program (KDSAP at UCLA), where she helps provide kidney health screenings free of cost to people in medically underserved areas of LA. Her home is in California's Central Valley, a region where medicine is not very accessible. To help solve this problem, she would love to practice medicine in her home region in the future. Outside of education, Manogna enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and listening to music!
Manogna Jha
Undergraduate Researcher